A $1bn (￡621m) project to build a replica of the Taj Mahal has been unveiled in the 

Gulf emirate of Dubai.

The Taj Arabia complex would be much bigger than the original monument to love 

and include a 300-room hotel, shops and commercial buildings, developer Arun Mehra said.

The complex will also house other structures such as the Eiffel Tower, Pyramids and 

the Great Wall of China.

The Taj Mahal, which is situated in the northern Indian town of Agra, is a Unesco

 World Heritage site.

It was completed more than 350 years ago by the Mughal emperor Shah Jahan as 

a shrine for his wife Mumtaz and took more than 20 years to build.

The white marble mausoleum, situated on the banks of the river Yamuna, is sometimes

 known as a teardrop on the cheek of time.

The Taj Arabia complex will be built around the Taj Mahal which is a "symbol of love

 and will include various facilities to encapsulate the beauty of life, love and romance

 mixed with the long established Mughal architecture", Mr Mehra, who is the chairman

 of Link Global Group, told the Press Trust of India.

The developers say they hope that the Taj Arabia will become a new wedding 

destination and attract couples to it.

An earlier plan to build the complex was shelved when the company was hit 

by the global economic downturn.